Elwood Tenkaichi: An Arthur Story

Chapter 18: What's Going On? Armstrong on the Case!

With Wednesday behind the competitors, it was back to school. The tournament loomed only three days away now, and the entire town seemed to be holding its collective breath in wait.

At Lakewood Elementary, students were lazily filing into the school doors to start the day. Sue Ellen stopped dead in her tracks as she neared the school steps; she sensed something she'd never felt before.

Or had she?

George Lundgren and Fern Walters were strolling up towards the school, George talking her ear off. When they passed Sue Ellen, time seemed to freeze.

It's...Fern! Sue Ellen awed. But...how? Her posture, her ki, it's...

"How is that possible?" Sue Ellen muttered to herself.

"Push-ups, sit-ups, and plenty of juice," Muffy Crosswire gushed, posing heroically as she flexed her dainty muscles in front of Sue Ellen. "Like what you see? As a fellow martial artist, I knew you'd appreciate the results of the Crosswire Training Regimen."

Sue Ellen blinked as she watched Fern pass through the school doors.

"Come on, you can admire my beauty later. We're gonna be late for class!" Muffy realized, yanking Sue Ellen along by the arm.

It just didn't make sense.

Sue Ellen spent the entire morning mulling over that fact.

It must have been some kind of mistake. Maybe it had been someone else she had sensed. Maybe it had been no one at all.

But what if it wasn't a mistake? What if Fern Walters really had changed?

That's insane, she mused, chastising herself. Over night? Impossible.

But was it?

It was during lunch that she resolved to stick to her plan. She took the opportunity to visit the principal's office. When she walked in, Secretary Tingley was seated at her desk, filing her long nails.

"Ah, Miss Armstrong! You're looking fit. How are you today? Ready for the tournament, I hope?"

"That's what I wanted to speak to Mr. Haney about."

"Oh? I hope you're not having second thoughts..."

"No, it's not about me, but one of the other competitors. May I speak to Mr. Haney?"

"I'm afraid he's indisposed at the moment, dear. But why don't you tell me and I'll pass it along?"

"Oh. Alright...It's about Fern."

"Walters?"

"That's right. I...I think she should be barred from the tournament."

Tingley's eyebrows furrowed quizzically, though she didn't stop working on her nails.

"And why is that, Miss Armstrong?"

"She's...she's not a martial artist. She entered for the wrong reasons and...and I don't want to see her get hurt."

"As I recall, Miss Walters qualified for the tournament, same as you and the others."

"That was a fluke, ma'am! You saw what happened! She's not a fighter, and she has no place in a competition like this."

Tingley stopped filing her nails before sighing.

"Did something happen between you two?"

"No, that's---I'm just worried."

"Well, as noble as that may seem, Miss Armstrong, Miss Walters is a qualified competitor. She chose to enter and that's all there is to it. I'm afraid you can't recommend your fellow contenders for disqualification for something like this."

"But she'll get slaughtered out there!"

"Now, now," Tingley soothed, leaning back to start on her nails again. "Don't be so dramatic."

"I--Never mind," Sue Ellen growled, exiting the room. There was a nausea in her gut now.

I need to calm down, she assessed. But what if I'm not wrong?

She made her way towards class as the bell signaled lunch was over.

For Fern's sake, I hope I am...